I'm planning on getting one soon. I want a really big one with lots of stuff in it and also lots of different types of fish, or a "community tank" as they call them. I've been reading about the "hobby" on the internet and its more complex than I thought but its the kind of complex I like. You basically need to create your own little world that can work without problems. I can't wait to see if I'm better than god. Anyway, does anyone here have a fish tank? What kind of stuff is in it?
I haven't got one but I think they can look good so I'd like one one day. I would suggest Tropical fish because they can brighten up the place but Cat-Fish also look cool as fuck, and my uncle had some crabs in his tank. Lobsters would also be good but I suppose one can make one's own environment: with the right knowledge (tank temperature etc) one could create any environment; possibly an English offshore sea-life economy or just the pretty, but probably common, Tropical Fish scenario.
we have one nowPlease Register or Log in to view the hidden image! no fish yet tho have to wait a week to check the water is right first its HUGE, 144LPlease Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
I used to have a smallish one, but not a tropical one. I also had a pond outside with fish in it. I would exchange fish with the pond and fishtank all the time. To study and observe them. I also liked to look at different snails, because at that moment I was researching mollusc development as a student. Breeding season was truly fascinating, for fish and snails alike. But I still preferred looking at the fish in the pond. Somehow they did more interesting things.
I agree, charles, that some of the catfish look awesome and after reading up on behaviours they seem like they would be fairly interesting to watch too. I'm pretty sure I'll get a tropical freshwater set up because it seems the easiest and also has a lot of species to pick from. I plan on getting bottom scavengers like pleco, flying fox, corydoras and kuhli loach, some small shoaling fish like different types of characins and different surface feeding panchax. I want to give the tank a balanced look so I'm finding out where fish tend to hang out in a tank and picking a certain amount from each area. I also need to know which fish are territorial and prefer solitude and which prefer friends. It turns out a siamese fighting fish could get on fine in the environment I have planned. I always assumed they hurt other fish because they are always alone in a little jar at petshops but from all the reading I've done it seems they only attack their own kind. They are in more danger from other fish who might want to chew on their fins. I might get one, I will be careful to pick fish that don't like biting fins. The main thing I've been looking for are fish who have no prefferred PH levels. All the ones I've mentioned don't which is good. Also all the ones mentioned tolerate similar temperatures so I'm pretty happy with my planning so far. Panchax will eat smaller fish which is a worry. Characins are the only ones small enough to have problems but they are alot quicker then panchax and apparently they stay in different areas of the tank. I will have a large shoal of characins which will also help them avoid being eaten I hope. I want all the fish to be comfortable so I can view watch their natural behaviours, also I don't want to be mean. It was just a passing idea I had, getting a fish tank, but now that I've read up on it I've become alot more enthusiastic. I can't waitPlease Register or Log in to view the hidden image! How big is 144litres asguard? As in length, height and width? (if you know)
Cool I thought it would be bigger for some reason. I might get something similar. Depends what I can afford. I'll go as big as I can. I might get one second hand. If you haven't decided what fish to get here is a good site: http://perso.club-internet.fr/vmillat/tropicalfish/id_a.htm And if you couldn't be bothered working out which species will live with which here are example fish selections on a different page from the same site: http://perso.club-internet.fr/vmillat/tropicalfish/example_fish_selections.htm Although I suppose you already have a general idea if you know how you want the water to be. You should make sure to get at least one member of the corydoras family. Apparently they keep the tank clean by eating the algae and scavenging the floor for dropped food pieces which ,if left untouched, will polute the water. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
Your wealth of knowledge is impressive dr Lou Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! ! Wow that is big! I'd want a big tank like that if I was going to get one. You'll have to get a lobster with a tank like that, and some bright lights too, to illuminate it! Some Lobsters have little neon colours of their own don't they? I'm sure they do, and that would look really impressive in the right situation, but it might get lonely though. Maybe you should get two instead. * Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! *
Used to have one. They can be a lot of fun...until you get bored that is (which takes quite a while, let me tell you). Especially the first few months. I guarantee you you'll be going to fish stores galore just to survey. And you'll keep on packing your tank with one extra fish, until you couldn't possibly fit another one in. Kinda cruel. But like I said, it can be a lot of fun. Better than many hobbies. I'd do it again if my parents let me. There are three kinds of fish that I'd recommend: 1) Miniature Sharks. THese things absolutely rock. So much fun. And there's always a little underground cult that breeds and trades them. So you can make a little money. The trouble is that you can't have as many of these as other fish - unless you have a really large tank. I highly recommend these if you're willing to give up the diversity of a normal tank. Unfortunately my parents never let me invest in these pretty little creatures. I think I'll buy a few ones as soon I get settled on my own in a few (maybe five) years. 2) Frogs. My god, they're cool. But they live in a slightly different environment. So if you let them get tangled in the flora then they'll die off in a few days. And sharks don't particularly like them. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! Be sure to learn about miniature frogs. They're not for everyone, but I like 'em and so do most. 3) Beta's. These monsters are pleasing to the eye. And intelligent, too. Don't believe what the people in the store tell you. They CAN live in a tank with other fish, and will brighten it up. The problem is that you have to feed them seperately by dropping a pellet in one by one..they tend to bite your finger if you don't move it fast enough. And besides that, They have been known to pick on the smaller, slower fish. 4) The suckerfish. I can't remember what these are called anymore. They basically have a sucker mouth, smooth streamlined body, and enjoy perching themselves on wood. They'll clean out the fish tank by eating the algae inside, and really don't need much care. Tough creatures. And they can get relatively big, too. But every aquarium deserves one of these. What I don't recommend is SNAILS. They ALWAYS die horrible deaths as their bodies get sucked up into the filters. And they seem to move to those areas regardless of whether they're drawn or not. THat's where the food is. Unless you have a particularly morbid and sadistic taste in aquaculture, I would recommend staying away from these. Or...Put up a barrier. But that doesn't usually help either. Now, before you buy it, you have to remember a couple of things. The first is that you need to feed them and monitor the water. Yes, I know it's a given, but people forget sooo often. Second is that you have to clean out the filter every month or so, and that is not my favourite chore. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! Another thing is that these animals are not immune to disease, and if you get really attached to one, then expect to spend a good amount of money on medicine. Finally, don't expect to have extended vacations. Though you can buy special food pellets, they don't last forever. Neither does the water. Besides that, theres not much else I can say. The guys at the store are almost always very knowledgeable when it comes to fish. But, if they aren't, I'd be glad to answer any more questions you might have about aquariums.
We offered one to my parents. That's great to see lots of colored fish in a big space. However, there are no more fish because my mother added cold water while changing it... and tropical fish don't like cold water !!! Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! They will buy new fish...
Really? Thanks. I only started learning about this stuff yesterday. I did read a fair bit though for a few hours. The more I read the more interested I got. Elbaz, did you have miniature sharks in with a betta? I thought they would bite a betta's fins off. I would like some of them but apparently they disturb some of the other fish I plan on getting and will make those fish spend the whole day hidden in a rock somewhere. The "flying fox"(Epalzeorhyncus Kallopterus) is similar to a miniature shark and I plan on getting one of those. They playfully chase other fish around but rarely bite them. I will get a sucker fish too(I think they are called plecostomas or something) and it will be interesting watching the flying fox and sucker compete for territory on the tank floor. I'm pretty sure they won't hurt each other but they are both "bossy" species that like the same areas and I can't wait to watch them interactPlease Register or Log in to view the hidden image! My friends mother used to have a tank with miniature sharks and a sucker and it was really fun to watch them chase eachother around. But I remember one of his fish was scared of the sharks and hid behind the heater where it eventually diedPlease Register or Log in to view the hidden image! I have a little tank from when I used to have an axolotyl(mexican walking fish) so if any of the fish get picked on I'll put them in that. I'll call it "the pansy bowl"Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
your doing the smart thing and not just buying everything before researching it. My suggestions, sounds like your going with freshwater and thats always the thing to start out with. 3 things to look at when choosing fish... Aggressiveness. make sure u get multiple opinions Size.that pleco u mentioned can get almost 2 feet. ive seen em over a foot long so believe me its true Environment. Not only temperature. example: some fish ive had will rip everything out of the ground.. i had one that burrowed a tunnel through the bottom rocks...; some need live plants others need shaded areas,caves, Tank size... i'd go with a 30 gallon to start because their not to pricey if u give up the hobby and if u do go bigger later (ex:60 gal) the 30s make great tanks for live food, hospital tanks, and quarentining new fish Use 3 sources. internet for raw facts. pet store for morals (ex:most people over stock the tanks and pet stores will discourage this)and more facts. And finally find someone whose had tanks for a while and just talk to them. Most internet and store people are often looking on selling something. fellow owners will tell you all the hell they've gone through on different things. Last and most IMPORTANT: when buying fish. always check for paracites. examples: spots wounds bumps discoloring. especially around gills. NOTE on above: most common problem will be "Ich" or the white spotted dissease. this will not only kill your fish but will make your tank completely uninhabitable until much medication, cleaning , and death has taken place. PS. don't take my post as negative. i love my tank with all my heart. I was just trying to make sure you didn't make my mistakes Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
I have been an aquarist for years, currently I have a 48 x 15 x 12 set up as a community tank and a 36 x 12 x 12 for my two aquatic toads and a plec. If you want to know what fish are classed as community go see the site that I run for an aquarist shop I use: http://www.erdingtonaquatics.com - the gaffers name is Neil he will be glad to help you out, so will I. With regards to "Ich" or White Spot, I use Protozin, but do not have to use it hardly, my fish are quite healthy. A good internal or external power filter is essential and dont use gravel, use sand, plants thrive in it. Temperature at about 24C for a happy tank!
Red Devil yeah i never had a problem with it either till i brought in a algae eating black molly from a local fish store. I've read that Ich is dormant in every tank but every major hobbiest i've talked to says that the root of all evil(ich) is the petstore. Thats for teh tip with the sand. i had been thinking of that but i already had the gravel from startup. question. i read most filtration is done in the bed of the aquarium. do you get as good filtration from sand. i can see water traveling through the rocks much easier...
Red Devil sorry, i meant to say before thanks for the tip with the sand. i really should have read that over...Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
No you cant use an undergravel filter with sand, its too dense. I use a Biofilter which sits inside the tank and it filters the water in through slats, and out via a steady stream which the fish love. Plants actually grow better in sand and their roots spread all over, they dont do that with UG filters. PS I start night shift soon, so any more answers might have a time delay on them Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! Black Mollies are rather susceptible to White spot and can easily spread it around, best ignore them and, if you want an algae eater, get a sucking loach, living vacuum cleaner!
Thanks for the advice. I was thinking of getting sand merely because it looks better but some of the fish I want to get like to be able to burrow. Would sand be too compact for little fish to dig into? I actually went to the petstore last night and to my surprise they had every fish I want and many many more. Its a real good place. I really like these ones that were there called "black ghost knife fish" and as far as I can tell they can survive in the water my other selections can. But after I read up on the species on the internet it said they might strip the fins off large-finned fish. I don't know what to do, I really want some but I also want panchax and betta who have pretty big fins. I might just get them all and when I see trouble I'll employ the "pansy bowl" Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
